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Objective: Individuals receiving home health care services often constitute a group with multiple chronic conditions, limited physical mobility, and restricted access to healthcare facilities. Immunization services are therefore critical for preventing infections in this population. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the frequency of pneumonia and related hospitalization rates after pneumococcal vaccination in patients receiving home healthcare services. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Home Health Care Unit of Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital, by reviewing the records of 125 patients who had received pneumococcal vaccination at home between June and September 2023. For each patient, the number of pneumonia episodes and hospitalization status before and after vaccination were compared. Results: A total of 125 patients were included in the study, consisting of 85 (68.0%) females and 40 (32.0%) males. Regarding age stratification, 9 (7.2%) patients were under 65 years of age, while 116 (92.8%) patients were 65 years of age and older. The mean number of pneumonia episodes decreased significantly from 1.68 ± 1.42 before vaccination to 0.44 ± 0.66 after vaccination, corresponding to an approximately 73.5% reduction (p < 0.001). After vaccination, patients had substantially lower odds of developing pneumonia (matched OR 12.40). A similar improvement was observed in hospitalization rates, which decreased from 17.6% before vaccination to 7.2% afterward (p = 0.019). Hospitalization odds were about threefold lower after vaccination. Conclusion: Our study shows that pneumococcal vaccination among home health care patients was associated with a significant reduction in pneumonia episodes and pneumonia-related hospitalizations. Given the uncontrolled pre–post design, these associations should not be interpreted as direct causal effects. The improvement observed after vaccination suggests that pneumococcal immunization is clinically important for high-risk individuals and should be expanded among similar risk groups. To maximize protection, healthcare providers should routinely screen the immunization status of home healthcare patients and integrate pneumococcal vaccination into standard homecare protocols as a priority preventie measure.

Aim: To determine health literacy and rational drug use levels among adults attending a primary care family health center, quantify their association, and identify independent predictors using multivariable regression analysis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 290 adults at a family health center in a metropolitan city in Türkiye (November 2022-January 2023). The Health Literacy Scale (25-125) and the Rational Drug Use Scale (0-42) were administered face-to-face. Three multivariable regression models were constructed: linear regression for Rational Drug Use Scale score (Model 1), binary logistic regression for adequate Rational Drug Use Scale (score≥35; Model 2), and linear regression for Health Literacy Scale score (Model 3). Bootstrap resampling (1,000 iterations) was used for internal validation. Results: Mean Rational Drug Use Scale score was 36.74±5.07; 71.0% had adequate Rational Drug Use knowledge. Mean Health Literacy Scale score was 91.33±21.64. A moderate positive correlation was found. Health Literacy Scale total score and university-level education were the strongest independent predictors of Rational Drug Use Scale. Each one-point increase in Health Literacy Scale was associated with 4.2% higher odds of adequate Rational Drug Use. The logistic model showed excellent discrimination. Conclusion: Health literacy is an independent predictor of rational drug use in primary care. Education and younger age are the main shared determinants. Structured health literacy interventions in family health centers may improve rational medication behaviours.

Background: Medical error under-reporting remains a critical barrier to patient safety, often driven by hierarchical organizational structures and fear-related mechanisms. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of fear of negative evaluation in the relationship between power distance and attitudes toward medical error reporting among healthcare professionals. Methods: A multicenter study of physicians and nurses was conducted in five tertiary hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. Data were collected using anonymous, paper-based questionnaires with a stratified quota-based convenience sampling approach. The survey included validated scales assessing organizational power distance, fear of negative evaluation, and attitudes toward medical errors. Mediation analysis was conducted using regression-based models with bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) bootstrap confidence intervals based on 5,000 resamples. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 705 healthcare professionals participated (mean age: 32.3 [SD 8.5] years; 43.7% physicians, 56.3% nurses). More than half (51.9%) reported witnessing a medical error in the past year, whereas only 4.5% demonstrated positive attitudes toward error reporting. Internal medicine staff exhibited higher fear of negative evaluation and greater instrumental use of power compared with surgical staff ( p < 0.01). Physicians reported higher fear of negative evaluation and greater use of instrumental power compared with nurses ( p < 0.01). Fear of negative evaluation was positively associated with all power distance dimensions ( p < 0.05). Mediation analysis showed that fear of negative evaluation mediates the relationship between instrumental use of power and medical error reporting attitudes (standardized β = 0.020, p = 0.013). Conclusion: Despite the high prevalence of witnessed medical errors, negative attitudes toward error reporting remained live. The findings suggest that hierarchical organizational dynamics and fear-related mechanisms may contribute to barriers to transparent reporting, highlighting the importance of psychologically safe and nonpunitive communication environments in hospital settings. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Introduction: Hedonic hunger refers to the consumption of food for pleasure and is believed to be associated with the increase of obesity rates. Aim: The primary objective of this study is to examine the complex relationship between obesity and hedonic hunger, with a specific focus on comparing young adults with and without obesity. Material and methods: A cross-sectional observational survey was conducted at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Istanbul Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital, following approval from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee. The study included 338 participants from the Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic. Sociodemographic characteristics were assessed through a 41-item questionnaire. Hedonic hunger was measured using the Power of Food Scale, and cigarette addiction was evaluated with the Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test. Data were analyzed using SPSS, with statistical significance set at p≤0.05. Results and conclusions: The mean age of participants was 32.8±8.24 years. The mean BMI was 27.99±6.12 kg/m² for men and 29.51±8.99 kg/m² for women. A total of 40.53% (n=137) of participants were classified as obese. The mean Power of Food Scale score was 2.85±0.9, and the mean Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test score was 4.13±3.33. Hedonic hunger levels were significantly higher in individuals with obesity (p<0.01). This study highlights elevated hedonic hunger levels among individuals with obesity

Objective: Tobacco use continues to be one of the most important causes of preventable death and diseases globally. The present study was designed to evaluate the smoking cessation behaviors of patients who referred to smoking cessation clinics operated by family medicine departments at different universities. Methods: The present study was conducted as a cross-sectional study with the participation of 611 individuals who referred to smoking cessation clinics operated by family medicine departments at Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University Faculty of Medicine Training and Research Hospital, Duzce University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Suleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Balıkesir Atatürk City Hospital and who agreed to participate in the study. The survey form includes questions about the patients’ demographic information and smoking habits. The participants who agreed to participate in the study were contacted by phone six months later to learn about their smoking status along with the treatment they received. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20, with a significance level set at p

Background: This study aimed to evaluate office blood pressure control, antihypertensive treatment patterns, and factors associated with uncontrolled office blood pressure among adults attending family health centers across Türkiye. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted across the 7 geographical regions of Türkiye from February to December 2025. Adults aged ≥ 18 years with previous hypertension, antihypertensive treatment, and/or elevated office blood pressure at the study visit were included. Controlled office blood pressure was defined as

This study aimed to examine the relationship between health literacy (HL) and health anxiety (HA) among young women and to evaluate how variations in HL influence anxiety and related health outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 245 women aged 18-45 years attending the Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital Training and Research Family Health Center. The questionnaire included 13 sociodemographic items, the 14-item Health Literacy Scale, and the 18-item Health Anxiety Inventory. Higher scores reflected higher levels of literacy or anxiety. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Of 245 participants, 66.8% were married and 61.2% had children. Higher education was associated with higher HL, whereas lower education, obesity, chronic disease, and regular medication use were associated with lower literacy scores (p < 0.05). HA was negatively correlated with the level of education and HL but positively correlated with the number of doctor visits. HL increases with the level of education, while HA decreases. Enhancing HL in primary care settings may help reduce health-related anxiety and unnecessary healthcare use among young women.

Objective: Postpartum depression is a significant mental health issue that affects mothers in the postpartum period and can be influenced by various biological and environmental factors. This study aims to examine the impact of during pregnancy and the postpartum period on the occurrence of postpartum depression symptoms. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital Training family health care center. A total of 104 patients within the first 6 months postpartum period were included in the study between September 5 and October 5, 2023. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS v.25 software. Symptoms of depression were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the results were evaluated based on this scale. Data obtained from the study were analyzed using IBM SPSS v.25 software, and p

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the role and importance of adult vaccination clinics in immunizing individuals with diabetes with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), influenza vaccine, hepatitis B vaccine, tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine, and herpes zoster vaccine. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in 14 tertiary healthcare institutions with Family Medicine Clinics. The vaccination histories of individuals diagnosed with diabetes were reviewed, and information on PCV13, influenza, hepatitis B, Td, and herpes zoster vaccines was provided. Participants were informed about the adult vaccination clinic, if available at the institution, and followed up for one month to assess whether they received the recommended vaccines. Results: A total of 388 participants were included, with a median age of 60 years; 55.4% of the participants were female. Only 27.8% were aware of the existence of an adult vaccination clinic in their institution. Prior to the study, 43.3% had received Td, 42.3% had received influenza vaccine, 21.4% had received PCV13, and 13.1% had received hepatitis B vaccine; only one person had received the herpes zoster vaccine. Physician recommendation was the most influential factor for vaccination (88.9%), while the most common reason for vaccine refusal was distrust in vaccines (57.9%). At the end of the one-month follow-up, 20.6% of participants had received at least one of the recommended vaccines; PCV13 was the most commonly administered vaccine among those who received any. Among them, 93.8% had applied to institutions with an adult vaccination clinic (p=0.011). A statistically significant association was found between receiving the PCV13 vaccine and the presence of an adult vaccination clinic (p=0.002). In contrast, no such association was observed for Td, influenza, or hepatitis B vaccines (p>0.05). Conclusion: Vaccination rates among individuals with diabetes remain low. However, the presence of adult vaccination clinics and providing structured information significantly increase vaccine uptake. Strengthening these services could improve immunization coverage in this high-risk group.